But it is worse than that. The Russians have an internal logic that, while utterly alien to reality, is what drives their behavior:
Moscow cannot conceive of its security in terms other than those of an adversarial relationship with the United States and NATO. That relationship is based on both global and regional deterrence and what Moscow calls strategic stability—where both sides are locked into the Cold War relationship of mutually assured destruction at the global and regional level. For Russia to be secure, not only must the United States not be able to defend itself against missile threats, neither can Europe, for then Russia cannot intimidate it by the threat of missile strikes. Russia still believes that the condition of its security is the insecurity of its neighbors and partners. Consequently, to secure itself, Russia must have the right to supervise the limits of Europe’s defense activity, thereby revising the settlements of 1989-91.
It's unreal. The Russians tell the Europeans that they have a nice little continent there. Be a shame if anything was to happen to it.
Nothing we do our don't do can persuade the Russians that we aren't out to get them. They need us to be out to get them and that is what they see--and then describe our so-called plot to their people in maniacal detail.
But Russia isn't really strong enough to intimidate Europe. Russia can nuke Europe or issue scary statements. They've little in between. In the end, Russia becomes our best recruiter.
As long as we remain allied to Europe and committed to supporting them, the Europeans won't surrender to the scary statements.
So is it really wise to draw down the Army in Europe when we need to remain engaged in Europe to guard against the Russians thinking they can push the West into passive compliance?
Don't fool yourself. Russia will act like Russia again.
If we are too strong to defeat, perhaps one day the Russians will sober up and snap out of their bout of insanity and join the West.
